Machine for transferring mail-bags.



No, 677,978. Pa tentod; l l'lly 9, 19m.

. E. T. GRANBER YQ MACHINE FUR TBANSFERRING "All. BAGS.

(Application filed June 28, 1900.)

' 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

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" WITNESSES I No. 677,978. Patented July 9, I901.

E, T. GRANBE RY. IACHINE FOR TBANSFERBING HAIL, BAGS.

(Application filed J'nno as, 1900. (No Model.) 2 Shoats8hoat 2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT QFFIQE.

EUGENE T. GRANBERY, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

MACHINE FOR TRANSFERRING MAIL-BAGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent NO. 677,978, dated July 9,1901. Application filed June 23, 1900. Serial No. 21,296. (No model.)

.are in Motion, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in machines by means of whichmail-bags may. be safely transferred from a moving train to a designatedplace along the railroad and at the same time another mail-bag may bepicked up at the said place and taken on board the moving train; and theobjects of my invention are,'first, to provide sucha machine that willoperate to a certain extent automatically, as more fully set forthbelow, and, second, to afford facilities not only to pick up mail-bagsfrom a designated place "along the railroad,

but in addition and at the same time to transfer mail-bags with safetyfrom the moving train to the said designated place along the road. Iattain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 represents practically the entire machine,part erected at the designated place and part affixed to the car, beforeit is thrown into position to operate. Fig. 2 represents the samemachine (the car and track and part of the post left out for simplicity)after it is in position to operate. Fig. 3 represents another view ofthe machine with the mail-bags in place and machine in position tooperate. Fig. 4 represents a side view of the catch which holds the partof the machine attached to the car in its ordinary position untilreleased by the operation of the automatic device. Fig. 5 is a detail ofthe device attached to the car,- giving the same view of the elementsdetailed and in same position as shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a sectionalview of the same elements of the device as is shown in Fig. 5 lookingfrom a point in a line at right angles to the line of vision in Fig. 5.This view shows those elements after the machine is thrown into positionto operate.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The post A, with the two arms a a, to which the mail-bag b may beattached by the stationmaster, and the fork 0, also attached to post Afor receiving the mail-bag from the moving this short arm is attached along shaft or don-- ble chain 9, which extends along the edge of thetrack in the direction from which the cars are expected about twohundred or three hundred feet (more or less) and there connected withone end of the elbow h. This elbow it turns on a pivot at 11. The otherend of this elbow is attached to the rod j, which works up and down inthe bearings 7c is. This rod j must be so placed that when thrown upinto position, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, it will engage the elbow Z,this last elbow being part of the mechanism attached to the cars.

I shall now describe that part of the machine attached to the car.

B is a fork, which when in position grasps the mail-bag from the post Aas the train rushes by. In its normal position, before the machine hasbeen thrown into position to operate, the fork B lies flat against theside of the car. This fork B is firmly attached to the rod 0, whichturns in the bearings mm D is an arm, the shape of which is best shownin Figs. 3 and 6, also attached to the rod 0. The arm D is that part ofthe device to which the mail-clerk on the car attaches the mail-bagwhich is to be left at the wayside station. The relation of the elementsB, O, and D to each other is best shown in Fig. 6. When the machine isnot in position to operate, B lies flat against the side of the car andthe arm 0 extends inside the car. When in position to operate, 0 extendsoutside the car under the fork B, as. shown in Figs.3and 6. l 1 V I E isa catch on the end of the sliding rodr, which holds the rodO in itsordinary position, as shown in Fig. 1. This sliding rod '1" iscontrolled by the spring at and the elbow Z.

This elbow Z turns on the pivot 0 and is so placed that one end of itwill engage the upper end of the rodj when the latter is thrown up intothe second position, as described above.

The catch E, as shown in Fig. t, is so constructed that when the slidingrod r, to the upper end of which E is attached, is in its normalposition the catch E holds the crank w against the side of the car, andthus prevents the rod 0 from turning. The only way in which a: may bereleased is by drawing down 1' by means of the elbow Z; but as may belocked by E while 0" is in its normal position.

.9 is a spring in the end of '1', which holds the trip 25 parallel toand fiat against 0"; but the action of returning C and m to theirordinary positions by the mail-clerk in the car, after the mail-bagshave been interchanged, will forcet in the direction indicated by thearrow in Fig. 4: until tis clear of :10, when .9 will forcei back to itsnormal position and the mechanism will be set and ready for use at thenext station.

At 19 is shown a spring attached to a crank in the rod 0, which when therod 0 is released from the catch E turns the rod 0 and throws the fork Band the arm D out into the position shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 6, ready topick up one bag and leave the other.

F shows the shield covering the spring 19, (which in Fig. 1 is partlyleft out so that the spring 19 may be seen.) The crank in the rod G towhich the spring p is attached is so shaped that the rod 0 will onlyturn through an angle of ninety degrees.

The machine is worked as follows: The station-master places the outgoingmail-bag on the two upper arms a a of post A, as shown in Fig. 1, thenturns post A so that the two arms ad, with the mail-bag, extend outtoward the track at right angles to its former posi tion, as shown inFigs. 2 and 3. This also throws the fork 0 into position for receivingthe mail-bag from the train, and at the same time the rod j is thrown upinto position shown in Figs. 2 and 3, ready to engage the elbow Zwhenthe car passes. Before the car reaches this point, the mail-clerk on thetrain places his mail-bag on the arm D. When the car passes the rodj,that rod engages one end of the elbow Z, which, turning on its pivot,pulls down the catch E and releases the rod 0, which, turning (moved byspring 19) through an arc of ninety degrees,'throws the fork B and thearm I) out into position to operate in connection with that part of themachine erected at the wayside station. This posi tion of B and D isshown in Figs. 2, 3, and 6. The elbow Z then being free of the rodj (thecar having passed that point) it is returned to its normal position bythe spring '21.. the fork B and the arm D pass the post A the mail-bagattached to post A becomes wedged in the fork B, and being only lightlyfastened to post A remains in B, and at the same time the mail bagfastened to arm D becomes wedged in fork c and in the same way remainsthere. Thus the two bags are exchanged, as desired. The rod 0 may thenbe turned into its ordinary position, where it is locked and held inplace by catch E on the end of sliding rod 1', which is now in itsnormal position, and the mail-bag which has been picked up may beremoved from fork B. When not intended to be used, the post A should bekept in the position shown in Fig. 1.

I am aware that prior to my invention a device similar to fork B hasbeen used to pick up mail-bags from a post similar to post A. Itherefore do not make any claim as to that particular portion. of mymachine by itself; but

What I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

1. In a machine for transferring mail-bags to and from moving trains, anarm D for holding a mail-bag to be delivered, attached to a rod 0 whichturns in bearings on the side of the car, a spring so connected as totend to turn said rod and to throw said arm out into position to deliverthe mail-bag and a device consisting of a catch on the end of a slidingrod attached to a pivoted elbow, so disposed that said catch holds therod 0 in a position with arm D inside the car, said device adapted to beoperated in connection with ground mechanism whereby rod 0 is releasedand, turning, arm D is thrown out into position to deliver the mail-bag,substantially as set forth and described.

2. In a machine for transferring mail-bags to and from moving trains, afork B for grasping a mail-bag from a post by the wayside, attached to arod 0 which turns in bearings on the side of the car, a spring soconnected as to tend to turn said rod and throw said fork out intoposition to grasp the mail-bag and a device consisting of a catch on theend of a sliding rod attached to a pivoted elbow, so disposed that saidcatch holds the rod 0 in a position with fork B flat against the side ofthe car, said device adapted to be operated in connection with groundmechanism,whereby rod 0 is released and turning, fork B is thrown outinto position to grasp the mailbag from the post at the wayside, allsubstantially as set forth and described.

3. In a machine for transferring mail-bags to and from moving trains, anarm D for holding a mail-bag to be delivered and a fork B for grasping amail-bag from a post by the wayside attached to a rod 0 which turns inbearings on the side of the car, a spring so connected as to tend toturn said rod and throw said arm for holding the mail-bag out intoposition to deliver the mail-bag and at the same time throw said fork Bout into position for grasping a mail-bag from the post by the wayside,and a device consisting of a catch on the end of a sliding rod attachedto a pivoted elbow, so disposed that said catch holds the rod 0 in aposition wit-h arm D inside the IIO car and fork B fiat against the sideof the car, said device adapted to be operated in connection with groundmechanism, whereby rod 0 is released and turning, arm D is thrown outinto position to deliver the mail-bag and at the same time fork B isthrown out into position to grasp a mail-bag from the post by thewayside, all substantially as set forth and described.

4. In a machine for transferring mail-bags to and from moving trains, arotating post A connected by a short arm and long shaft or double chainwith a pivoted elbow, to one end of which elbow is attached a rod jwhich slides up and down in bearings as the post is turned to work inconjunction with a device attached to the car, all substantially as setforth and described.

5. In a machine for transferring mail-bags to and from moving trains, arotating postA connected by a short arm and long shaft or double chainwith a pivoted elbow to one end of which elbow is attached a sliding rodwhich, when post A is turned, is adapted to engage with trip mechanismon the passing car consisting of a pivoted elbow and sliding rod on theend of which is a catch, whereby said catch is withdrawn, allowingdevice on the car for catching and delivering mail-bags to operateautomatically, all substantially as set forth and described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

EUGENE T. GRANBERY.

Witnesses:

HERBERT B. SMITH, A. W. ANDREWS.

